The most prominent indication of civil-military
friction in recent times, the April 29, 2017 Tweet of DG ISPR, was finally withdrawn
on May 10, 2017 [1] and the Dawn
'Leaks' affair was finally closed, at least for now. The withdrawal took place
through an ISPR Press Release in which it was clarified that the Tweet was 'not
aimed at any government office or person.' [2]
The press release also went on to reiterate its 'firm commitment and continued
resolve to uphold the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and support
the democratic process.'[3] The
Interior Ministry issued a notification in the Inquiry Committee Report on the
same day in which the noticeable new entry compared to the leaked letter of
the Prime Minister Office of April 29, 2017 was the endorsement of the 'action
already taken by the Federal Government against Senator Pervaiz Rashid.'[4]

The final closure of Dawn 'Leaks' affair was
preceded by three meetings of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which news reports
claimed were related to the Dawn 'Leaks' affair and the April 29, 2017 DG ISPR
Tweet. On May 04, 2017, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff
Gen. Qamar Jawed Bajwa held a meeting according to news reports, five days after
the ISPR Tweet. [5] Reportedly,
the meeting was held in 'a pleasant atmosphere' with border and security situation
coming under discussion in it. [6]
Importantly, General Bajwa discussed the army's reservations over the actions
contained in the April 29, 2017 PMO letter and Prime Minister Sharif promised
to take into consideration those reservations. [7]
It is important to note that this meeting was not followed by a press release
either by the Prime Minister Office or the ISPR.

On May 06, 2017, there was a meeting of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar in which, reportedly,
the draft notification on the recommendations of the inquiry committee on Dawn
'Leaks' was discussed that was to be issued by the Interior Ministry. [8]
News reports quoted another meeting of the Prime Minister with his close aides
on May 09, 2017 in order to discuss the topic of Dawn 'Leaks.' [9]
Reports emerged that in the meeting it was decided that the Prime Minister Office
notification issued on the matter was sufficient and did not leave any subject
unaddressed.[10]

PILDAT believes the withdrawal of the Tweet
by the ISPR is a step in the right direction. PILDAT had earlier termed the
DG ISPPR tweet as inappropriate in terms of the Constitution of Pakistan and
had recommend that a meeting of the National Security Committee should be convened
urgently to repair the damage to Civil Military Relations and to the image of
the elected Government and its valiant Armed Forces.

PILDAT's detailed analysis over the DG ISPR
Tweet and the Dawn Leak's affair contained in the April 2017 monitor is reproduced
below:

1. The use of the word
'rejected' and the manner in which the Tweet was phrased was inappropriate.
Moreover, the Pakistan Army's public rejection of the letter issued by the Prime
Minister's Office will only go on to reinforce the image, already held in certain
sections of the international community, that the Armed forces of Pakistan are
free from civilian oversight. Hence, in the larger interest of the country and
to further avoid harming the state of relations between the civilian institutions
and the armed forces, the ISPR Tweet of April 29, 2017 should at least be withdrawn
or a part of the Tweet should be revised in its wording.

2. Most of the controversy
has emanated because the agreed report has not been made pubic. Therefore, we
urge the Government to make the complete report public barring those parts that
may threaten national security or at least its recommendations be made public
without further loss of time.

3. Both sides should address
the obstacles and impediments in the way of addressing similar issues. While
such an institutional arrangement existed in the form of the National Security
Committee (NSC), it has remained largely dysfunctional. Whatever the reasons
for its dormancy may be, whether they include lack of trust or interest by the
Government or the Military leadership, they need to be immediately addressed
and the NSC should be activated as the principal forum for addressing security
issues requiring civil-military consultation.

4. In an honourable, democratic,
sovereign country like Pakistan, the final authority rests with its elected
representatives. All institutions of the State should, in practical terms, demonstrate
the acceptance of this position in full conformity to the constitution of the
country.

5. Democracy does not
only mean elections, but it means inclusive government in which views of all
segments are taken into consideration and decision-making is collective and
institutional. An increased tendency for more personalized and whimsical decision-making
has been observed in the past few years. Even at one point, the Supreme Court
had intervened and stated in its judgment that ' the Prime Minister is
the head of the Cabinet but he can neither supplant nor replace it. He cannot
exercise its powers by itself. '[11] Both
the Federal and the Provincial Governments must ensure that institutionalized
decision-making takes place through their cabinets while political parties should
also use institutional forums for their policy decisions.

6. Lastly, the Parliament
and the Provincial Assemblies should also exercise their role of effective oversight
in making sure the elected Government are adhering to the principles of democracy
and good governance.

On May 11, 2017, Interior Minister Chaudhry
Nisar held a press conference in which he stated that the Dawn 'Leaks' matter
has been 'settled' [12] and
warned 'against politics on the sensitive issue of civil military ties.' [13]
He acknowledged that there was a difference of opinion between the civil government
and the military leadership 'but that was not on the substance but was procedural
in nature.'[14]Mr. Nisar also
clarified that 'the Prime Minister's directives were an order for relevant ministries
and a final notification was to be issued by the Interior Ministry.'[15]

Government's
Crackdown against Anti-Army Material on Social Media

In the wake of what appeared to be a concerted
campaign of defamation against the Pakistan Army following the May 10, 2017
ISPR press release withdrawing the April 10 Tweet, PEMRA, on May 12, 2017, issued
a warning for 'all TV channels against airing unverified news or analysis themed
around the Pakistan Army or its relationship with the civilian Government.'
[16]

This was followed by a press conference by
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar two days later in which he stated that 'ridiculing
Pakistan Army or its officers in the name of freedom of speech is unacceptable'
[17] and directed the Cybercrime
wing of the FIA to take action against 'those ridiculing Pakistan Army on social
media.' [18]

On May 22, 2017, news reports emerged that
the FIA has identified suspects in what it viewed as an "organized" campaign
on social media against the Pakistan Army.[19]Some
of these suspects were taken by the FIA into custody for interrogation. [20]

On May 23, 2017, Interior Minister in a press
conference after a meeting with a delegation of the All Pakistan Newspapers
Society (APNS), the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), and the Pakistan
Broadcasters Association (PBA), said that 'the Government plans to draw red
lines for the social media service providers for operating in Pakistan.' [21]In
connection with the FIA crackdown on anti-army posts, the Interior Minister
said that '27 identifications and eight individuals had been identified and
six of them interrogated so far.'[22]

PILDAT believes that the following points need
to be taken into consideration:

1. If there is organized
criticism, which is not based on facts and potentially defamatory, on any institution,
then the country's laws should come into effect in order to stop it. This is
especially relevant to the Army and the Judiciary, as defaming and ridiculing
these institutions is prohibited in the Constitution. [23]

2. The rules governing cyber
space should be similar to those governing print and electronic media.

3. Those institutions that
traditionally have expertise to deal with print and electronic media may not
have the requisite expertise to deal with social media, which may result in
excesses on their part when dealing with the latter. Keeping in mind the growth
of social media and the issues arising as a result of it, efforts should be
made expeditiously for enhancing the capacity of investigation agencies and
prosecution services to effectively deal with cases involving abuse of social
media.

4. Defamation laws in Pakistan
are weak and as a result, defamatory material gets published against private
individuals. The difficulty inherent in getting effective relief from the defamation
laws in the country can be understood in comparison to the speedy manner with
which a court in the UK convicted ARY of 24 defamatory claims against Mr. Mir
Shakil ur Rehman, the owner of Jang newsgroup and Geo television. [24]
The court delivered its verdict over the same content that was broadcasted in
Pakistan, however any action on the same issue is still awaited in Pakistan.

GHQ
Holds Seminar on Role of Youth

ISPR, together with the Higher Education Commission
of Pakistan organized a Seminar at the GHQ on 'Role of Youth in Rejecting Extremism,'
on May 18, 2017. COAS General Qamar Bajwa, among others, addressed the Seminar
[25] He said that 'while Army
fights terrorists, terrorism and extremism is fought by law enforcing agencies
and society.'[26] General Bajwa
also gave his definition of extremism as 'a mindset where passion has given
way to hate and intolerance of others' [27]
while going on to say that hostile agencies are trying to subvert the minds
of Pakistani youth, and 'being denied opportunities in the mainstream media,
they are using faceless platforms on the internet and smart phones.' [28]

PILDAT believes that while there may be a need
for such seminars given the radicalization of certain segments of Pakistani
society, it remains unclear as to how the ISPR or the Military's General Headquarters
are suitable organisers and venue to hold such a seminar. The very challenges
posed to the Pakistani State and Society at the hands of extremism and terrorism
form part of the core responsibilities of the Armed Forces in addition to other
professional duties. If the Armed Forces begin to spend their energy and resources
on such activities, this would be at the expense of their core role of ensuring
the security of Pakistan. There are no shortage of challenges that the Armed
Forces are required to tackle and with CPEC security undertaken by the Army,
just the recent kidnapping of two Chinese nationals from Quetta should be the
cause of concern.

Pakistan's history is replete with references
where the Armed Forces have taken on such responsibilities that lie outside
their core area of work. This state of affairs may be because of lack of initiative
by the civil administration. If that is the case, then not only is this an embarrassing
situation for the civil administration but it also discourages it from doing
its work by giving the impression that the Army is taking care of it. Why could
the Ministry of Education and Training not organize this seminar? The GHQ is
not a suitable place for conducting such seminars, as they should be happening
in universities and public places.

Annual
Formation Commanders Conference

75th Annual Formation Commanders conference held
on May 23, 2017

The 75th Annual Formation Commanders conference
was held in the GHQ on May 23, 2017. It was presided by COAS General Qamar Bajwa
and attended by all General Officers of the army. According to the press release
issued by the ISPR, the forum deliberated on the 'impending FATA reforms and
reiterated requirement of reform process in line with aspirations of people
of FATA.' [29]The forum also
'reiterated its resolve to continue meaningful contributions towards stability
and progress of Balochistan with the support of its people.' [30]Karachi
operation and Punjab operation were also mentioned in the press release as it
said the two operations and operations elsewhere 'will be continued till sustainable
stability is achieved.'[31]

It is perplexing as to why the military felt
the need to mention FATA reforms and Balochistan reconciliation when policy
making and implementation is the domain of elected civil Government. The Formation
Commanders Conference must have a full agenda of subjects to be discussed within
the professional domain of the institution of Military itself. The growing tendency
to publicly offer commentary on policy issues by the Army continues to give
the impression as if a parallel cabinet exists in addition to the civilian elected
Government which must announce its views on policies. While certain policies
may come under discussion as these relate to defence and security and counter-terrorism
measures, it makes little sense to offer public commentary on those policies.

Any discussion on policies that affect defence
and security must be discussed at the proper institutional channels such
as the NSC.

Meeting
of the National Security Committee

PM Sharif chairing meeting of the NSC on May 31, 2017

On May 31, 2017, after a gap of 10 months,
finally a meeting of the National Security Committee was convened. According
to the press release issued by the Prime Minister Office, the NSC 'deliberated
upon internal and external security situation of the country' and 'expressed
satisfaction over the sustained gains achieved from anti-terrorism operations,
particularly Operation Radd-ul-Fassad.' [32]
The NSC also discussed the 'security of CPEC projects' according to the PMO
press release. Besides the regular attendees of the NSC, this meeting was also
attended by Minister for Planning and Development Mr. Ahsan Iqbal and Director
General FWO Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal. [33]

While the convening of the NSC meeting must
be welcomed despite inordinate delay, it is important to emphasize that NSC
should meet regularly in view of the defence and security challenges facing
the country. Since 2013 when NSC was first established, the body has met on
average every 6 months while a similar body, the National Security Council of
the UK, for example, meets on weekly basis.

Table 1: Overview of Meetings of National
Security Committee

Date of Formation
of NSC

First Meeting of
the NSC

Period after which
current NSC Meeting took place

Total Meetings
of the NSC since its formation

Average periodicity
of NSC meetings

August 22, 2013

August 22, 2013

10 months

7

Approximately 1 every 6
months

Premier-COAS
Interactions

In the month of May, the Prime Minister and
the Chief of Army Staff met a total of three times

1. The first meeting
took place on May 04, 2017 to reportedly discuss the Dawn 'Leaks' affair. This
meeting was largely reported by the media but not announced through a press
release either by the Prime Minister Office or the ISPR.

2. The second meeting took
place on May 31, 2017 before the National Security Committee meeting. According
to the press release issued by the Prime Minister Office, this was a call-on
meeting by General Bajwa.[34]

3. The third meeting also
took place on May 31, 2017 in the form of the National Security Committee meeting.
Other participants in the meeting were Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad
Asif, Minister for Finance Mr. Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar
Ali Khan, Minister for Planning & Development Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Advisor to
PM on Foreign Affairs Mr. Sartaj Aziz, National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. (R)
Nasser Khan Janjua, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair
Mahmood Hayat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, Chief of Air
Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, Director General ISI Lt. General Naveed
Mukhtar and Director General FWO Lt. General Muhammad Afzal. [35]

International Developments Affecting
Civil Military Relations Around the World

Ex-General
and Army Officers go on Trial in Turkey

A soldier accused of involvement in the coup being brought
to the court inside the Sincan prison on May 22, 2017

There are 26 former Generals among the 220
suspects who went on trial in Turkey on May 22, 2017 for their alleged role
in the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt.[36]Notable
among those on trial is the former Turkish Air force Chief, Akin Ozturk. He
has denied any link with the coup attempt. [37]

Turkey has been under a state of emergency
since July 21, 2016. The emergency was imposed a few days after the coup attempt
by a section within the Turkish military.[38]
The purpose behind the emergency was 'to be able to remove swiftly all the elements
of the terrorist organization involved in the coup attempt.' [39]

Terrorist
Attack on Military-owned Hospital in Bangkok on Coup Anniversary

Soldiers outside the military owned hospital in Bangkok on
May 22, 2017

On May 22, 2017, a bomb blast on a military
owned hospital in Bangkok, Thailand on the occasion of the third anniversary
of the military coup in Thailand wounded 24 persons. [40]However,
it is not clear who was behind the attack. [41]

Newly-elected
President of South Korea Announces Investigation into the Gwangju Killings

On the 37th anniversary of the democratic
movement in the southern city of Gwangju, the newly elected President of South
Korea, Moon Jae-in, announced that 'the government will exert efforts in finding
out the truth about that day, including who ordered the first shot (at civilians)
and hold (the person in charge) to account.' [42]

The May 18 anniversary commemorates the Democratic
Uprising in 1980 in which protests were held by civilians against the rule of
Gen. Chun Doo-hwan. Gen. Chun (still alive) was a military dictator whose infamous
actions involved 'shutting down universities and banning political speeches.'[43]

Gen. Chun's crackdown during the protest by
Gwangju citizens in which hundreds were killed and wounded is considered to
be 'the most violent crackdown in the nation's modern history.' [44]

Military
Appointments in Trump's Team being seen as Improvement of Military's Reputation
Among the American Public

US President Donald Trump (right) and National Security Adviser
Lt. Gen. McMaster (left) at Mar-a-Lago on February 20, 2017

Following the resignation of National Security
Adviser Michael T. Flynn on February 13, 2017 for giving 'incomplete information'
to Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials on the matter
of his telephone call with Russian Ambassador Sergey I. Kislayk in December
2016, [45] President of the
United States, Donald Trump on February 20, 2017 appointed an active duty General,
Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new National Security Adviser.

In certain quarters of the media, the presence
of a serving army officer in a key position in the administration is being perceived
as 'the culmination of years of steady improvement for the military's reputation
among the American public - in tandem with its slow creep into the political
fold.' [46] These appointments
in addition to Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster includetwo recently
retired army officers, James Mattis and John Kelly, as Secretary of Defense
and Director of the Department of Homeland Security. [47]